da doce： After missing their last four matches, the winger came off the bench to fire his side to a huge win over their title rivals
da dobrowin： Gabriel Martinelli seized his moment for Arsenal as the substitute fired in the late winner in Sunday's 1-0 victory over Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium. The Brazil attacker was brought on at half-time and provided an instant boost for a Gunners frontline that had been flat and hopeless throughout the first 45 minutes.
His presence helped open City up a bit, and although there was a lot of luck – his shot smacked the face of Nathan Ake before beating Ederson – it was fitting that it was the returning Martinelli who made the difference for Mikel Arteta's team.
Although the Arsenal coach will be delighted to see his team get the three points, the headline clash raised a lot of questions for him to ponder, particularly surrounding the goalkeeper conundrum. Despite managing a clean sheet against Pep Guardiola's treble winners, Gunners shot-stopper David Raya, perhaps haunted by his error against Lens in midweek, did not come off looking good.
The summer loan signing was a mess from the beginning. His awful distribution was one thing, but his dilly-dallying on the ball almost caused a blunder as Julian Alvarez came rushing in to block him from kicking the ball out and he had no command of his box for most of the game.
Meanwhile, the struggles of Eddie Nketiah and Leandro Trossard in attack showed just how badly the north London side need Bukayo Saka. The young England star's energy and creativity were missing throughout the game and left Arsenal feeling a point would have been a great result until Martinelli stole all three.
GOAL rates Arsenal's players from the Emirates Stadium…
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David Raya (4/10):
Uncomfortable right from the beginning. Poor distribution and almost had a blunder when Alvarez blocked his kick. Had more command of his box in the second half, though.
Ben White (6/10):
Gave away a bit too much space behind him on occasion but dug in with some good challenges.
William Saliba (7/10):
Solid at the back yet again as he kept City from getting through to the shaky goalkeeper.
Gabriel Magalhaes (7/10):
Comfortable in possession, dug in to win the ball and made a strong block in the second half.
Oleksandr Zinchenko (6/10):
Pushed high up to support the attacks as Arsenal's confidence grew and was always sensible on the ball.
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Martin Odegaard (6/10):
At the forefront of Arsenal's high-press in the beginning and tried to create some danger but little came off for him.
Jorginho (5/10):
Rather inefficient in midfield and was replaced by Thomas Partey in the second half.
Declan Rice (7/10):
Shaky in possession at the start but cleared off the line and fought hard for the ball. Looked better in the second half as Martinelli's movement freed up passing options.
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Gabriel Jesus (6/10):
Barely had room to breathe in the first half with Gvardiol hounding him. Found more space in the second to help Arsenal apply some pressure.
Eddie Nketiah (5/10):
Had Arsenal's first chance after 26 minutes but missed the target and nothing else came off for him.
Leandro Trossard (4/10):
Was hardly involved before being taken off at half-time.
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Gabriel Martinelli (8/10):
Introduced at half-time and immediately gave Arsenal a hint of a spark that they lacked in the first half. Got his reward for it, too, when he fired in the decisive goal.
Kai Havertz (7/10):
Did well to tee up Martinelli for the late winner.
Thomas Partey (6/10):
A stable presence in midfield after being brought on for the last 15 minutes.
Takehiro Tomiyasu (6/10):
Pushed high up to support Arsenal's attack, staying wider than Zinchenko tended to do and played a key role in the goal.
Mikel Arteta (7/10):
Will be elated with the result and the way his team overcame the many shaky and worrying moments they had in the opening minutes to get his first win over Guardiola in the Premier League.